Braille Symbols Guide: Unicode Braille Patterns & Copy-Paste
Learn about Braille symbols, Unicode Braille patterns, and how to use these tactile characters in digital text.
What Are Braille Symbols?
Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired. Each Braille character consists of a cell with up to 6 raised dots arranged in a 2×3 grid. Unicode includes a full Braille Patterns block (U+2800 to U+28FF) with 256 characters representing all possible dot combinations.
While Braille is primarily a physical medium, Unicode Braille patterns allow digital representation for assistive technology, Braille displays, and educational purposes.
Grade 1 Braille Alphabet
Grade 1 Braille uses individual cells to represent letters, numbers, and punctuation:
| Letter | Braille | Unicode | Dot Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ⠁ | U+2801 | Dot 1 |
| B | ⠃ | U+2803 | Dots 1, 2 |
| C | ⠉ | U+2809 | Dots 1, 4 |
| D | ⠙ | U+2819 | Dots 1, 4, 5 |
| E | ⠑ | U+2811 | Dots 1, 5 |
| F | ⠋ | U+280B | Dots 1, 2, 4 |
| G | ⠛ | U+281B | Dots 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| H | ⠓ | U+2813 | Dots 1, 2, 5 |
| I | ⠊ | U+280A | Dots 2, 4 |
| J | ⠚ | U+281A | Dots 2, 4, 5 |
Common Braille Symbols to Copy-Paste
How to Type Braille Characters
Windows
Use the Character Map (charmap) application. Search for "Braille" to find all 256 characters. You can also use Alt+28xx codes in some applications.
Mac
Open the Character Viewer (Edit > Emoji & Symbols or Ctrl+Cmd+Space). Search for "Braille" to browse and insert characters.
Copy-Paste
The easiest method is to copy Braille characters directly from this page and paste them wherever needed.
Uses of Unicode Braille
- Braille displays: Electronic devices that display Braille characters for blind users
- Accessibility software: Screen readers and assistive technology tools
- Education: Teaching Braille to sighted learners
- Art and design: Using Braille patterns for aesthetic or decorative purposes
- Encoding: Representing binary data visually using dot patterns